Thinking About You
by Alice Fang Cullen
Summary: It had taken a while but with time Prentiss and Morgan became friends. As they start finding themselves thinking more and more about the other they try to figure out what it could mean and what to do about it.
1. Prentiss' Thoughts

_**Discs.:**__ I don't own anything you recognize from Criminal Minds!  
__**Summary:**__ It had taken a while but with time Prentiss and Morgan became friends. As they start finding themselves thinking more and more about the other they try to figure out what it could mean and what to do about it.  
__**Pairing:**__ Prentiss/Morgan  
__**Genres:**__ Friendship/Romance  
__**Spoilers:**__ Contains spoilers for 1x22 & 2x1 "The Fisher King Part 1&2", 2x5 "Aftermath", 2x6 "Boogeyman", 2x10 "Lessons Learned", 2x12 "Profiler Profiled", 2x16 "Fear and Loathing", possibly also others  
__**A/N:**__ Well, this is just a short three-shot I wrote for katiekat784 from the Criminal Minds Weekly Prompts forum on here, with whom I share the birthday. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get the whole story done yet, but I will try to finish it asap! Anyway, Happy Birthday, Katie! Have fun reading!_

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**Thinking About You**

_1. Prentiss' Thoughts_

Prentiss was sitting in one corner of the jet as the team was making its way home, a book in her hands. However, her eyes kept being drawn away from the pages in front of her and over to the seats across of her where Morgan sat with JJ and Reid. Emily couldn't deny that her handsome coworker had recently begun to invade her thoughts more and more often, nor that she found herself more and more frequently watching him when they were on the way to whichever place where they had a case or back home like at the moment. Though of course she tried her best to ignore this fact and even more so the implications of it.

She couldn't help contemplating how she hadn't even really expected to become friends with Morgan, or well actually with anyone on the team for that matter, considering the rather rough start she'd had at the BAU. She still vividly remembered Hotch's reaction when she had told him that she had been transferred to the unit and she was positive that even after she had shown him that she had the necessary skills he would have probably prefered not having her on the team. Prentiss wasn't sure whether this had been due to the apparent mix up with the paperwork, which had possibly made him think that she had gotten transferred into the unit behind his back, or if it might have been due to him being reluctant of filling the spot left on the team after Special Agent Elle Greenaway's departure. But eventually her colleagues had started accepting her as part of the team and she began building friendships with them. However, she hadn't really expected to form such a bond with Morgan, or that her feelings for him could start evolving past friendship.

A smile formed on her lips as she remembered how their friendship had truly started. The day she had learned that they shared their love for Kurt Vonnegut's books...

_**Flashback:**_

_Emily cursed as she spilled some coffee while filling her cup. As she grabbed some paper towels and started cleaning up she heard Morgan chuckle as he approached the kitchen area at the office._

_Passing her he said,_

_"Good morning, Emily. Have a good weekend?"_

_Still wiping coffee away she let out a sigh and replied,_

_"Yeah. No. Yes." Making Morgan chuckle once more while filling his own cup with coffee._

_"Oh, I've been there..." Morgan told her._

_Looking at him she said,_

_"No, it wasn't..." Emily trailed off, letting out a frustrated sound,_

_"I don't want to get into it."_

_"No problem." Morgan assured._

_Feeling the need to explain her reluctance she told him,_

_"It just feels weird for me to talk about my personal life here. You know? I don't really know you guys all that well yet."_

_"I totally get that." Morgan replied, turning to head to the bullpen._

_After a moment she followed him, thinking. Eventually she stopped and admitted,_

_"I think I totally screwed up this date."_

_At that Morgan stopped, turning back around, a grin on his face and walked back over to her._

_"Okay. What happened?"_

_"You have to understand. I'm a nerd." Emily started, causing Morgan to let out another short chuckle and a grin to form on his face, while she continued,_

_"Like seriously. And I can fool people for days, weeks even. But sooner or later I blow my cover and I say something so geeky and then he doesn't respond and I lose all confidence."_

_"What did you say?" Morgan wanted to know._

_"Kilgore Trout." Emily replied._

_"Guy has a problem with Kurt Vonnegut?" Morgan asked, surprising her entirely._

_"You know Kilgore Trout?!" She all but exclaimed in her surprise._

_"I read Slaughterhouse-Five when I was twelve and it blew my mind." Morgan told her,_

_"Seriously, I couldn't get enough so I just kept going and read them all."_

_"Yeah, yeah, me, too. What's your favorite?" She inquired excitedly._

_Without hesitation Morgan replied,_

_"Oh, Mother Night." _

_"The one about the American Spy."_

_"Who pretends to be a Nazi." Morgan added._

_"You are who you pretend to be..." Emily started quoting._

_And Morgan finished,_

_"So be careful who you pretend to be."_

_"Oh, my God! I can't believe you're a Vonnegut fan! You just made my day." Emily told him, already much more cheerful._

_Morgan smiled at her and said, _

_"Anytime."_

_A few days later:_

_They were on their way back home after closing the case in Groton. She had just gotten herself some coffee and headed for her seat. As she approached where Morgan sat with Reid she dropped the book she had bought at the airport on the table and said,_

_"Oops. Sorry."_

_Morgan looked at the item and seeing the book he smiled and reaching for it he stated,_

_"Oh, wait a minute." He picked the book up, looking it over,_

_"No, you didn't." And looking back at her, lifting the book for her to take he wanted to know,_

_"Where did you find this?"_

_"In the airport, can you believe it?" She replied, taking the book back,_

_"I haven't read this in... Like twelve years."_

_Still smiling Morgan said,_

_"Okay, that's funny. Chapter three's where it starts to get good."_

_Smiling back she told him,_

_"Okay, I will let you know when I get there." With that she continued to her own seat._

_"All right, you do that." Morgan said in response, watching as she walked away. _

_**End flashback**_

Still smiling fondly she thought about all the good times they'd had since then, all the great conversations and such...

_At Emily's place a few hours later:_

As Prentiss lay in bed, trying to find to sleep her mind drifted yet again to Morgan. As much as she tried she just couldn't stop thinking about him... She tried to determine when exactly all of this had started, when she had started thinking so much about him, when exactly she had started feeling more and more drawn to him - when it had been that she had started to wish they could be more than just friends. But as much as she tried she couldn't figure it out, just like she couldn't seem to get him out of her head or keep telling herself that she didn't feel the way she did.

Now the real question was, what should she do about it? After all, they were coworkers and besides, Morgan was not exactly the type to have an actual relationship. Not to mention that it was extremely doubtful that he felt even remotely the same about her.

Emily let out a heavy sigh, turning yet again in her bed, pushing those thoughts aside in an attempt to finally get some sleep.

_Tbc_

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_**A/N:**__ Thanks for reading, hope you like it so far! I will try to get the rest of the story done during the weekend. Hope you had a great birthday!_


	2. Morgan's Thoughts

_**A/N:**__ First of all, thanks for the feedback, I'm glad to see that people like the story. :) Second, I'm sorry for the wait, but I got grounded and couldn't post anything. Anyways, here's chapter two, this time Morgan's point of view! The flashback was inspired by a deleted scene from season 2 (well, actually it is taken from that scene, I just changed the setting regarding the timeline a bit)... I also threw in some Morgan/Elle friendship, because I felt it fit and I personally think that the show kinda did a poor job showing how everyone reacted to Elle leaving - especially Morgan since they had seemed to have already been friends prior to Elle joining the BAU. Well, anyways, enjoy reading!_

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**Thinking About You**

_2. Morgan's thoughts_

The team was on the way back from a case in Portland, Washington. It was already pretty late and it had been a rather tough case so it was not really a surprise that it was almost completely quiet on the plane. Hotch and Rossi were talking quietly in one corner of the plane, while JJ and Reid were deep asleep, Morgan himself sat in the middle of the plane, listening to some music on his iPod, lost in his thoughts.

Only a moment later he snapped out of his thoughts when he heard someone approach just as the song he had been listening to had ended. Opening his eyes and looking up he saw that it was Prentiss, who had apparently gotten up while he had been lost in thought and gone to make herself some tea.

When she noticed him looking at her she paused on her way to her seat and stated,

"You're still awake? I thought you were sleeping too..."

Morgan smiled slightly,

"Nah, just thinking..."

Prentiss nodded at that and for a moment he couldn't help getting the feeling that she was about to say something else, but then she simply smiled once more at him before continuing on her way. He watched as she went over to her seat at the front of the jet, put the cup down on the small table in front of her and sat back down. Once she had settled into her seat she picked up the book she had already been reading before.

Continuing to watch her for a moment he got lost in his thoughts once more, reflecting on the time they had known each other now. The memories brought a smile on his face and he couldn't help feeling a trace of amazement at the thought of what a good friendship had formed between them, despite the rather rough start they'd had...

He couldn't deny that he hadn't been particularly welcoming towards Prentiss. In fact he had probably given her pretty much a cold shoulder at first. Which had been in part due to her taking Elle's place on the team.

After all, Elle had been his friend, and not just after she had joined the BAU - they had already been friends for years at that time. So her leaving, and especially the way she had left, had been a major blow for him. He had thought she trusted him, that she knew she could talk to him if something was wrong... Yet she hadn't. In fact she hadn't even said goodbye. He had tried to call her after Hotch had broken the news to them when they got back from working on the case in Ozona, but she hadn't answered. He had also stopped by her place that night, but even though he had seen that there was light on she hadn't reacted when he had rung the bell. And eventually he had given up, figuring that Elle wanted to start over and leave the BAU and everything related to it behind.

Naturally he had been upset by this fact, by the fact that Elle had just left without a word. And yes, he had also felt responsible for her departure and the events that had led to it. After all, he was the one on the team who had probably known her best, he should've known she wasn't ready to go undercover and play the decoy for the UnSub, he should've noticed and said something - or at least he should've gone after her when she had left the station to make sure she was okay and wouldn't do something stupid. But he hadn't done either of those things, in fact he had - even though he had been aware of how personal Elle was taking the case - not realized how much of a toll it was really taking on her. Then again, what had he told Reid? Nobody was responsible for Elle's actions other than Elle herself. But even though he had kept telling himself this as well he couldn't help the fact that part of him was blaming himself for not being there for Elle when she had needed someone. Sure, she had never said anything or asked for help, but anyone who knew her would have known better than to expect that she would ask...

And he had to admit that those things had caused him to feel a certain amount of resentment for the agent replacing his friend and reject her for it. Plus Emily's whole attitude when he had first met her hadn't made him like her any better.

His first impression of her? A stuck-up, egocentric show-off, who was completely full of herself and only got the position on the team because of her well-connected mother. And of course the fact that they worked on some pretty tough cases after she had joined hadn't really helped either.

However, as he got to know her better with the passing of time he had to come to respect her and to his slight surprise found himself not just getting along with her but actually liking her. He also discovered that they had a similar taste in regards to books and music.

A smile crossed his face as he remembered that morning when Prentiss had told him about how she thought she had screwed up the date she'd had during the weekend and he had learned that she was a Vonnegut fan just like him. In retrospect he very much thought it was after that day that their plain working relationship had started to become friendship.

And somewhere along the way it had started turning into more than friendship, even though he couldn't quite pinpoint when exactly that had been. All he knew was that he found himself thinking more and more often about her. It even went so far that she invaded his dreams. He could barely be in the same room with her without his thoughts wandering off to places they certainly shouldn't be going, especially not while working. Whenever she was near him he found himself close to incapable of taking his eyes off her, almost as if hypnotized, overly aware of the even tiniest movements by her - the slow rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, the smallest changes in her posture and expression... He had begun paying so much attention to her that he was now even capable of telling just by the sound of her voice in what mood she was...

Yet he knew that there could never be more than friendship between them, no matter how much he would like it to be different. It wasn't just because they were working together and it was against his personal rules to get involved with a coworker, no, there was an even more important reason speaking against it...

_**Flashback:**_

_They were on their way home from working on a case in Minnesota. He and Reid were playing cards while JJ was sleeping in her seat and Hotch and Rossi were talking quietly where they sat across the jet from them. Meanwhile Prentiss was getting herself some coffee. As she came back and headed for her seat at the far end of the jet Morgan stated,_

_"Hey Prentiss, you wanna join the next game?"_

_Prentiss smiled at him and replied,_

_"Maybe next time. I actually picked up that book at the airport, it sounds pretty intriguing..."_

_Returning the smile Morgan said,_

_"Well, then, have fun."_

_Prentiss nodded and continued on her way, Morgan watching her. As he looked back towards Reid to focus on their game again and noticed the expression on the young genius' face he mused,_

_"You're thinking I'm sending her the wrong kind of message."_

_Reid hesitated for a moment then he straightened in his seat and pointed out,_

_"I've been noticing you two sitting next to each other in the round-table-room, I've seen her hanging around your desk and I realized that if I am noticing this stuff it must be pretty darn obvious, right?"_

_That caused him to chuckle and shake his head. Leaning slightly forward in his seat he replied,_

_"Okay, well, you know kid, normally I would say, you got yourself a really good point there, but, uh, trust me, Emily Prentiss is not the kind of girl who's interested in Derek Morgan."_

_"What?! What kind of girl isn't interested in Derek Morgan!" Reid exclaimed, though keeping at the same time his voice low._

_He took a deep breath and said,_

_"The kind of girl who's way to smart to think she could change my ways. Everybody knows I'm not ready to get serious."_

_"Maybe you're a lot more ready than you realize." Reid pointed out._

_"Dr Reid, are you really trying to school me on females right now?"_

_At that Reid turned slightly his head, looking around the jet and at their colleagues, as if he was about to share some really big secret and wanted to make sure nobody else would hear, before he looked back at him and stated,_

_"My mother says, girls can sense when a man is changing. When you are ready, certain types of girls, the right kind of girls, will find you." He paused and added,_

_"It's only when you're ready, though."_

_Morgan chuckled once more and pulling a card he wanted to know,_

_"You think I'm not on top of my game all of a sudden?"_

_"No, I was just trying to distract you so I could take this card." Reid replied as he took the card and put it along with the cards from his hand on the table between them, adding,_

_"Gin."_

_"Oh, you sneaky bastard!" Morgan hissed, putting his own cards down with the backside up._

_Reid grinned and stated,_

_"When will you people learn never to play cards with a magician."_

_At that he leaned forward in his seat, giving the young genius a mock-threatening look and inquired,_

_"What do you mean 'you people'?"_

_**End flashback**_

He had meant what he had said to Reid that night, Emily Prentiss was way too smart as to believe that she could ever change his ways - of course, always only provided that she actually felt attracted to him in the first place. Which he highly doubted. Therefore thinking about any of this was pretty damn pointless, with the only likely result being that he was giving himself unnecessary headaches, didn't get enough sleep and couldn't really focus on work the way he should.

At those thoughts Morgan let out a heavy sigh, shaking slightly his head and took a look around the plane, and once again he couldn't keep his eyes from lingering on Emily. Just as he was about to tear his eyes away from her Prentiss turned slightly her head and met his gaze. For a moment they locked eyes before they both looked away. Sighing once more Morgan took a glance at his watch and seeing that it was by now past two in the morning he settled back in his seat, trying to get comfortable enough to get some sleep, considering that they won't arrive back in Virginia for another few hours.

_Tbc_

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_**A/N:**__ Once again, thanks for reading! I will try to post the final chapter some time in the following days, but I don't know for sure when that will be..._


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